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REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON THE CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS FOR THE THIRD SESSION OF THE TWELFTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Printed by the National Assembly of Zambia REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON THE CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS FOR THE THIRD SESSION OF THE TWELFTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ITEM PAGE TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Membership of the Committee 2.0 Functions of the Committee 3.0 Meetings of the Committee 4.0 Programme of Work 5.0 Procedure Adopted by the Committee 6.0 Consideration of Reports from Parliamentary Delegations to International Organisations 6.1 Report of the Delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) 6.1.1 The Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum: London, UK: - 26 February – 1st March 2018 6.1.2 The 74th CPA Africa Region Executive Committee Meeting: Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria 6.1.3 49TH CPA Africa Region Conference and Annual General Meeting Gaborone, Botswana, August 2018 6.2 Report of the Delegation to the Pan African Parliament (PAP) 6.2.1 Meetings of the Pan African Parliament 6.2.2 Revised Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union Relating to the Pan African Parliament 6.2.3 Sixth Ordinary Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament 6.2.4 Recommendations and Resolutions of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Fourth Parliament 6.2.5 Resolutions of the Sixth Session of the Fourth Pan African Parliament 6.2.6 First Ordinary Session of the Fifth Pan African Parliament 6.3 6.2.7 Recommendations by the Delegation Report of the Delegation to the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) 6.3.1 The 43rd Plenary Assembly 6.3.2 The 44th Plenary Assembly Session 6.3.2.1 Update on the Transformation of SADC-PF into a Regional Parliament 6.3.2.2 Interim Mission Statement – Zimbabwe 2018 Harmonised Elections 6.3.2.3 Other Deliberations 6.4 Report of the Delegation to
 the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR) 6.4.1 Deliberations 6.4.1.1 Report of the Eighth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly of the FP/ICGLR i 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 8 8 8 9 10 11 14 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 20 6.4.1.2 The Security Situation in ICGLR Member Countries 6.4.1.3 Parliamentary Initiative for Peace, Security and Good Governance in the Great Lakes Region Countries 6.4.1.3.1 The 2018-2020 Action Plan of the FP/ICGLR The Budget of the FP/ICGLR for the year 2019-2020 Annual Activities of the General Secretariat of the FP/ICGLR for the year December, 2018 Date and Venue of the Tenth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly of the FP/ICGLR The Brazzaville Declaration 6.4.1.3.2 6.4.1.3.3 6.4.1.3.4 6.4.1.3.5 6.5 Report of the Delegation to the African, Caribbean, Pacific-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly 6.5.1 Main Outcomes of the 52nd Session of the ACP Parliamentary Assembly and the 36TH ACP-EU JPA (ACP-EU JPA) 6.5.1.1 The Fight against Cybercrime and Drug Trafficking 6.5.1.2 Combating the Destabilising Effects of Wildlife Trafficking in ACP Countries and Promoting the Implementation of the External Dimension of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking 6.5.1.3 The Impact of the Rise of Populism on Globalisation 6.5.1.4 Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Development at the Heart of Economic Transformation in ACP countries 6.5.1.5 The Impact of Climate Change, in Particular on Small Developing Island States 6.5.1.6 The Status of Negotiations on the Post-Cotonou Agreement 20 23 23 23 23 23 24 26 26 26 27 27 27 28 28 6.5.1.7 Draft Report and Resolutions on the Strategic 6.6 Report of the Delegation to the 138th IPU Assembly Significance and Dimension of the ACP-n EU Partnership 29 30 6.6.1 General Debate on Strengthening the Global Regime for Migrants and Refugees: The Need for Evidence-Based Policy Solutions 6.6.2 Topic for Discussion at the 138 IPU Assembly: Geneva, Switzerland, 14-18
 October, 2019 6.6.3 Standing Committees and Related Meetings 6.6.4 Debate on an Emergency Item 6.6.5 Zambia’s Participation at IPU Assemblies 6.6.6 IPU Seminars at the National Assembly of Zambia 30 30 30 32 32 32 ii 6.6.7 Observations and Recommendations 7.0 Conclusion 32 33 iii Appendices Appendix I Appendix II Appendix III Appendix IV Appendix V Officials of the National Assembly The Declarations Reflecting the Decisions of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum Resolutions of the 49th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region Conference Resolutions from the 4th Youth Parliament (CPA) Resolutions of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly 34 35 37 42 47 iv REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON THE CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS FOR THE THIRD SESSION OF THE TWELFTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 1.0 MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE The Committee consisted of Dr M Malama, MP, (Chairperson); Ms A M Chisangano, MP (Vice Chairperson); Mr E J Muchima, MP; Brig Gen M Sitwala (Rtd), MP; Mr A K Mbangweta, MP; Mr L Nyirenda, MP; Mr A B Malama, MP; Mr F Ng’ambi, MP; Ms M Miti, MP; and Mr E K Belemu, MP.
The membership of the Committee changed when Ms M Lubezhi, MP replaced Mr E K Belemu, MP, who was appointed to serve on another Committee.

The Honourable Mr Speaker National Assembly Parliament Buildings LUSAKA Sir The Committee has the honour to present its Report on the consideration of Reports of Parliamentary Delegations to International Organisations for the Third Session of the Twelfth National Assembly.
2.0 FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMITTEE The Committee oversees operations of the Ministries of Defence, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs.
In overseeing the activities of these Ministries, the Committee is mandated to: (a) study, report and make recommendations to the Government, through the House, on the mandate, management and operations of the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, departments and/or agencies under its portfolio; (b) carry out detailed scrutiny of certain activities being undertaken by the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, departments and/or agencies under its portfolio and make appropriate recommendations to the House for ultimate consideration by the Government; (c) make, if considered necessary, recommendations to the Government on the need to review certain policies and/or certain existing legislation; (d) examine annual reports of Government ministries and departments under its portfolio in the context of autonomy and efficiency of Government ministries and departments and determine whether the affairs of the said bodies are being managed according to relevant Acts of Parliament, established regulations, rules and general orders; (e) exercise powers conferred on it under Article 203 of the Constitution; (f) consider Bills that may be referred to it by the House; 1 (g) consider international agreements and treaties in accordance with Article 63 of the Constitution; (h) consider special audit reports referred to it by the Speaker or an Order of the House; (i) where appropriate, hold public hearings on a matter under its consideration; and (j) consider any matter referred to it by the Speaker or an Order of the House.
3.0 MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE The Committee held five meetings during the year under review to consider Reports from Parliamentary delegations to international organisations.

4.0 PROGRAMME OF WORK At its first meeting the Committee considered and adopted the programme of work set out below.

(a) Consideration of the Action-Taken Report on the Committee’s Report for the Second Session of the Twelfth National Assembly.
(b) Consideration of Reports from Parliamentary delegations to international organisations.

5.0 PROCEDURE ADOPTED BY THE COMMITTEE The Committee requested for written memoranda from delegations on the activities of the international organisations on which they represented Zambia, since the last Report was submitted.

Delegation leaders also appeared before the Committee and made oral submissions and clarifications on issues arising from their submissions.
6.0 CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS FROM PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS Background and Purpose The purpose of this activity was to consider Reports from Parliamentary Delegations to international parliamentary organisations, with a view to making the necessary observations and recommendations to the Executive for action.

In this activity, the Committee considered Reports from the Parliamentary delegations listed below.

(i) Delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
(ii) Delegation to the Pan African Parliament (PAP).

(iii) Delegation to the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF).

(iv) Delegation to the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR).

(v) Delegation to the African - Caribbean and Pacific - European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU JPA).

(vi) Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
2 A summary of the deliberations of the Committee on the Reports of the delegations to international organisations is presented below.

6.1 REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION (CPA) The Committee was informed that during the year under review, Zambia participated in various activities as set out below.
6.1.1 The Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum: London, UK: - 26 February – 1st March 2018 The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Zambia Branch participated in the Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum which took place at different locations, namely; Church House, the Palace of Westminster and Portcullis House and the Guildhall in London, United Kingdom from 26th February to 1st March, 2018.
The aim of the Forum’s meeting was to facilitate engagements on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018 agenda, themes and issues.
The following were the declarations reflecting the decisions that the meeting wanted parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth and the Pan–Commonwealth working group to prioritise in their agenda for CHOGM, and beyond: (i) a commitment from parliamentarians to push for a focus on Commonwealth education in school curricula; (ii) a commitment from parliamentarians to push for a Commonwealth non-governmental policy implementation body to provide checks and balances on the policy proposals of governments and government ministers.
This should also ensure that the Commonwealth charter was consistent throughout policy and legislation; (iii) a commitment from parliamentarians to push for evidence based health policies; (iv) a commitment to ensuring that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ‘universally applied’ with specific regard to marginalised groups; and (v) a campaign from parliamentarians for a Pan-Commonwealth placement scheme to be introduced focusing on apprenticeships and internships for the Commonwealths’ young people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
6.1.2 The 74th CPA Africa Region Executive Committee Meeting: Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria The Committee was informed that the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Zambia Branch participated in the 74th CPA Africa Region Executive Committee Meeting which was held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State in Nigeria from 7th to 11th March, 2018.

The meeting addressed several issues pertaining to the general operations of the CPA Africa Region Executive Committee.
The outcome of this meeting was an input into the Annual General Meeting that was held in the same year in Gaborone, Botswana.

3 6.1.3 49TH CPA Africa Region Conference and Annual General Meeting, Gaborone, Botswana, August 2018 The CPA Zambia Branch delegation to the 49th CPA Africa Region Conference and Annual General Meeting in Gaborone, Botswana was represented by seven Members of Parliament led by the First Deputy Speaker, Honourable Catherine Namugala, MP.
The Conference theme was “The Role of African Parliaments in fostering National and Regional Security” and the delegates discussed several thematic topics.

Presented below, are the resolutions adopted by the AGM during the aforementioned meeting.
(a) A Parliamentary Agenda for combating human trafficking and modern day slavery in Africa and the promotion of human rights (i) (ii) Encouraged African governments to sign or accede to international conventions, treaties and protocols relating to combating human trafficking.
Advised African Parliaments to ratify and domesticate treaties, protocols and international conventions such as the 1926 Slavery Convention, the ILO Forced Labour Convention of 1957, the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) 1979, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989; and the Protocol to Protect, Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children 2000.
(iii) Urged African Parliaments to enact laws and adopt legislative frameworks aimed at preventing and combating trafficking in persons, modern forms of slavery, child labour and sexual exploitation.

(iv) Urged African governments to establish facilities for proper counselling, (v) (vi) treatment, care and rehabilitation of victims of these exploitative acts.

Encouraged African governments to ensure just and effective investigation, prosecution and punishment of offenders and perpetrators of these crimes.
Further advised African governments to target Immigration Services, Police Departments for capacity building and provide sufficient resources to enable them combat the menace.

(vii) Called upon African Parliaments to enact legislation that will regulate the activities of international employment agencies that recruit workers from Africa.
(viii) Further called upon African Parliaments to intervene through youth-friendly budgeting, poverty reduction programmes and legislative measures aimed at skills training, in order to proactively deal with the challenge of unemployment and the vulnerability of the youths.

(ix) Urged governments and non-governmental organisations to sensitise the public on the dangers of human trafficking and modern day slavery.
4 (b) Understanding the nexus between climate change and the incidence of farmers’ and herders’ conflicts in Africa (i) (ii) Urged African governments to mitigate against the causes of environmental degradation by promoting ranching of cattle and water-efficient agricultural practices.
Encouraged African parliaments to emulate the examples in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and parts of Nigeria by passing legislation outlawing open grazing, pastoral nomadism, allocating grazing corridors for herders as well as afforestation.

(iii) Urged African governments to support pastoralists through weather insurance schemes, improved access to markets and support for destocking and restocking processes in times of drought and extreme climate shocks.
Implored African parliaments to make budgetary allocations towards agricultural science and technological innovations.

Further implored African Parliaments to enact legislation prohibiting unlawful mining, charcoal burning and deforestation, silting of rivers leading to flooding and archaic farming practices.
(iv) (v) (vi) Requested African Parliaments to commit at least ten per cent of their national budgets to funding the agricultural sector, in line with the AU 2003 Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security.

(vii) Appealed to industrial countries that are yet to commit to the 1997 Global Climate Treaty (Kyoto Protocol) to sign and ratify the Protocol and desist from further environmental pollution through greenhouse gas emissions.
(c) Elections in the Context of the Promotion of Regional Peace and Security (i) (ii) Urged African Parliaments to enact electoral laws that promoted free, fair and transparent electoral administration, equitable political inclusivity and accessibility.

Encouraged African parliaments to allocate sufficient funds to the Electoral Commissions and such allocations should be made on time.
(iii) Advised political parties, candidates and all stakeholders to comply with the legal framework, discourage the culture of intolerance and political animosity and eschew the use of intimidation, coercion and violence as tools for achieving political advantage.

(v) (iv) Urged the electoral commissions to be independent, impartial and always strive to provide a level playing field for all contestants and to encourage dialogue when differences arose.
Called upon the Judiciary to be independent, impartial, fair and transparent in adjudicating and resolving electoral disputes.

Further called upon African governments to ensure that the media (both electronic and print) complied with laws regulating their practice and prevent the filtration of fake news capable of triggering polarsation and electoral violence.
(vi) (vii) Encouraged international organisations, the media and civil society organisations (CSOs) to intensify election observation missions (EOMs) with a view to detecting and reporting opportunistic and fraudulent electoral practices.
5 (d) A Legislative Framework for the Regulation of Vigilante Groups, Private Security and Military Companies in Africa: Country Experiences (i) (ii) Enjoined African parliaments to establish legislative frameworks for registration, licensing, regulation and monitoring the activities of vigilante groups, private military and security companies (PSMCs).

Encouraged African Parliaments to exercise effective oversight on Private Security and Military Companies (PSMCs).
(iii) Urged African governments to take appropriate measures to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish the misconduct of PSMCs and their personnel.

(iv) Called upon African governments to reaffirm and strengthen state responsibility for monopoly of legitimate use of force as well as identify this as a state function that should not be outsourced.
Further called upon African governments to invest in recruiting, training, equipping and resourcing their national standing armies and security agencies instead of outsourcing this important state function.

(v) (vi) Urged African governments and parliaments that were yet to sign and ratify the 1977 OAU Convention on the Elimination of Mercenaries in Africa, to do so.
(e) Food Security and Sustainable growth: The role of Agricultural Revolution in Triggering Economic Development in Africa (i) (ii) (iii) Urged African governments to formulate national policies on food security which targeted transition from food importation to food sufficiency and exportation.
Encouraged African governments to promote agriculture as the cornerstone for African development through a mix of factors, including innovations in natural resource management practices, the deployment of emerging agro-technologies, bio-safety systems, land reforms and value addition to our agricultural produce.
also encouraged small scale farmers to organise themselves into cooperative societies to take advantage of loans, government support and cost-sharing; (iv) Called upon African governments to subsidise farming activities through the provision of grants, extension services, market for produce, silos and storage facilities, etc; Called upon African entrepreneurs to continue establishing a variety of agro- processing industries to enhance agro-value chain.
(v) (vi) Urged governments in Africa to embark on land reforms that would encourage modern commercial agriculture instead of peasant subsistence farming.

1.

Executive Committee Meeting: London:- 5th To 9th November, 2018 CPA Zambia Branch participated in the meeting above and was represented by Mr Lazarous Chungu Bwalya, MP and CPA Central Africa Regional Representative.

6 2.
6 2.

The CPA Constitutional Amendment Committee Meeting: Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania:- 18th to 24th November, 2018 Zambia participated in the CPA Africa Region Constitutional Amendment Committee through staff representation as members of the Secretariat.

The meeting was in line with the decision of the 49th Annual General Meeting held in Gaborone, Botswana from 13th to 22nd August, 2018, which instructed the Secretariat to convene a Special Executive Committee Meeting before the end of the year.
The directive by the AGM was to review the entire CPA Africa Region Constitution and do away with contested elections by embracing the principle of rotation for office bearers of the CPA Africa Region.

3.

4th CPA Africa Region Youth Parliament: Kampala, Uganda:- 14th to 19th April, 2018 The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Africa Region held the 4th CPA Africa Region Youth Parliament in Kampala, Uganda from 14th to 19th April, 2018.
The 4th CPA was earlier scheduled to take place in Rwanda in 2017 but was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances by the Government of the Republic of Rwanda.

The CPA Zambia Branch was represented by Ms Yuhai Nyambusya and Mr. Shepherd Simukonda.

The two participants were accompanied by Mr Jeffrey J Mumbi, Public Relations Officer and CPA Desk Officer Africa Region.

The Meeting was attended by twenty-five Members of Youth Parliaments from eleven parliaments and legislatures.
The young people were aged between eleven and twenty-one years.

4.

Other Activities In addition to the above conferences, the CPA Zambia Branch also participated in other activities in 2018, including the following: (i) Westminster Seminar on Effective Parliaments 26th -30th November, 2018 The Committee was informed that this was an annual seminar organised by the CPA UK Branch.

It was for both parliamentarians and members of staff.

It focused mainly on parliamentary practices and procedures.
Zambia was represented the participation of the First Deputy Speaker, Hon Catherine Namugala, MP, the Deputy Chief Whip, Hon Remember Mutale, MP and the Deputy Clerk (Procedure), Ms Cecilia Sikatele.

through (ii) The CPA Zambia Branch Local Seminar The Committee was informed that this activity was postponed to 2019.
7 6.2 REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT (PAP) Background The Committee was informed that the National Assembly of Zambia was represented at the PAP by the Members listed below, who served on various committees as indicated.
(i) Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa, MP (Leader of Delegation);, Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs; (ii) Ms Margaret Miti, MP, First Vice Chairperson of the Pan African Parliament Women’s Caucus, Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment; (iii) Mrs Mutinta C Mazoka, MP; Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment; (iv) Mr Anthony Mumba, MP; Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters; and (v) Mr Maxus Ng’onga, MP, Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs.
The Committees conducted their business during parliamentary sessions and the March and August Sessions were specifically dedicated to committee business.

Apart from committees, each region was represented by a regional caucus.

The Rules of Procedure also provided for other types of caucuses to be established to deal with issues of common interest as the PAP deemed necessary.

There were two such caucuses focusing on women and the youth.
6.2.1 Meetings of the Pan African Parliament The Committee was informed that the Pan African Parliament held four annual meetings including two Ordinary Sessions (May and October) and two Committee Meetings (March and August).

The Pan African Parliament also held an extraordinary session and also facilitated an annual meeting of Clerks and an annual Speakers’ workshop.
Apart from the meetings outlined above, Members of the Pan African Parliament participated in meetings, workshops, trainings, conferences as well as missions, which included election observer missions.
6.2.2 Revised Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union Relating to the Pan African Parliament The Committee learnt that the Heads of State and Government of the African Union(AU) at the Twenty-Third Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on 27th June 2014 adopted the Revised Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the Pan African Parliament (PAP).
Consequent to this, the PAP had been advocating for the ratification of the Revised Protocol.

The Protocol was expected to give legislative functions to the Pan African Parliament to enable it propose and consider model laws as well as to participate in the African Union Treaty making process.

The Protocol would enter into force thirty days after the deposit of the instruments of 8 ratification with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission by a simple majority of AU Member States.
As of 11th October, 2018, a total of ten Member States had ratified and deposited the instruments of ratification with the Chairperson of the African Commission.
The changes that would arise from the Revised Protocol coming into force included: (i) (ii) the evolution of the PAP into a model law- making organ of the African Union; the inclusion of African people in the diaspora, regardless of their citizenship or nationality, in the determination of the affairs of the African continent; (iii) the mode of election of Members of the PAP; (iv) the conditions and qualifications for Members of the PAP; and (v) State Party obligations to the PAP, including payment of Members’ allowances.
In Zambia, the approval of treaties and protocols was vested in the National Assembly.

However, the Protocol had not yet been brought before the House for approval.

The Committee was informed that the Zambian delegation to the Pan African Parliament had followed up this matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.
The delegation had also engaged the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the intention to move a motion on the floor of the House as per the decision of the PAP that country delegations be requested to move motions on this matter in their respective Parliaments as part of the efforts to expedite the ratification of the Revised Protocol by Member States.
It was hoped at that time that with the acquiescence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the leader of the delegation to the PAP would move a motion in the House to discuss the Revised Protocol.

The proposed motion was intended to inform the House on the Revised Protocol and the implications or changes that would result from its implementation once it came into force.

The motion was also to urge the Executive to study the Revised Protocol and expedite the process of ratifying it.
Other follow ups on the ratification process included a meeting between the PAP President and the President of the Republic of Zambia, in September, 2017.

The PAP President also held meetings with the Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs where Members of the Zambian delegation to the PAP were in attendance.
In October, 2018, the Pan African Parliament wrote to the Zambian Parliament encouraging the Republic of Zambia to sign and ratify the protocol as was affirmed at the 2017 Annual Speakers’ Conference, where participating Speakers committed to taking necessary steps to facilitate the ratification of the protocol by 31st December, 2018.

A letter from the Office of the Clerk was in this regard sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting for the status of the ratification process.
6.2.3 Sixth Ordinary Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament The Committee was informed that the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) was held from 3rd to 19th May, 2018 at the Pan African Parliament precincts in Midrand, South Africa.
The Session was guided by the 2018 African Union theme “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.’’ 9 During the Session, all the statutory committees held their meetings and so did the regional, women and youth caucuses.
Several topics and presentations were made, including the Europe- Africa Forum on the Challenges and Opportunities of Migration Flows; the Report on the African Union (AU) Year of Combating Corruption; and the Report on Repealing Defamation Laws to Promote Media Freedom.

The Session also saw the election of a new Pan African Parliament Bureau; Bureaus of Regional Caucuses as well as the election of the leadership of the Women’s and Youth Caucus.

Hon.
Hon.

Margaret Miti, MP, was elected as the First Vice Chairperson of the Pan African Parliament Women’s caucus during this Session.

New Members of the Pan African Parliament were also sworn in during the Session including Mr Maxas Bweupe Ng’onga, Member of Parliament for Kaputa Parliamentary Constituency.
6.2.4 Recommendations and Resolutions of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Fourth Parliament During the Sixth Ordinary Session of the fourth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament, the recommendations below were adopted.

(i) (ii) African Union Member States should urgently sign, ratify and domesticate the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection adopted in June, 2014.
African Union Member States should build an information society that respected values, rights and freedoms and guaranteed equal access to information while encouraging the creation of authentic knowledge which could build confidence and trust in the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Africa.
(iii) African Union Member States should put in place necessary policy, legal and regulatory mechanisms to control cyber criminality and this required the full involvement and support of the political leadership at the highest level.
(iv) African Union Member States should establish dedicated national infrastructure networks to connect government, industry and the research community and thus promote open knowledge engagement, an open data system for researchers, innovation, synergy between end-users and researchers as well as information technology development.
African Union Member States should establish an ecosystem for national computer emergency readiness and response teams to promote national synergy on cyber security, knowledge-sharing and intelligence gathering on actions taken by cybercriminals to counteract preventive efforts by governments and individuals.

(v) (vi) African Union Member States should set up effective mechanisms and strategies for reporting cybercrime to ensure adequate protection and assistance to cyber crime victims and witnesses.
As part of the broader cyber security strategy, call centres should be established and staffed by sufficiently trained and knowledgeable personnel and be equipped with a website and a toll-free number for easy reporting of cybercrime incidents by victims and witnesses.

(vii) Regional Economic Communities should maintain the momentum in the implementation of various ICT projects.
10 (viii) Regional Economic Communities should promote and support the development of (ix) (x) (xi) continental and regional ICT.

The AU Member States should ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights relating to the Rights of Older Persons and guarantee protection for older persons with disabilities, including access to specialised care and assistive devices, as well as universal product design to ensure inclusivity.
The AU Member States should support the work of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, in particular, its Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and People with Disabilities.

The AU Member States should adopt a gender perspective on policy and planning processes at all levels, taking account of intersecting forms of discrimination that affected older women, including ageism, sexism, disability and the rural/urban divide.
(xii) The AU Member States should prevent, punish and eradicate all forms of violence against older persons and reject and eradicate all harmful cultural practices that could cause ill-treatment and abuse of older persons in the public and private spheres.

(xiii) The AU Member States should adopt universal social pension schemes that would benefit retirees and older persons who may not have the opportunity to contribute to social security provisions.
(xiv) The AU Member States should design and implement comprehensive healthcare policies for older persons, including sexual and reproductive healthcare and facilitate access to health services and medical insurance cover, within available resources.

(xv) The AU Member States should prioritise preferential assistance for older persons in natural disasters and conflict situations, including civil strife or wars.
(xvi) The AU Member States should adopt measures to ensure that older persons who were taking care of orphans and vulnerable children were provided with financial, material and other support, including social or other benefits designed for children.
(xvii) The AU Member States should ensure the participation of older persons in making decisions about their own well-being and to guarantee their involvement in social and political life by facilitating training and education programmes for older persons, including information, communications and technology skills in rural areas.
(xviii) The AU Member States should engage with the media, civil society organisations and academic institutions, in raising awareness to change negative attitudes and promote positive images of older persons and promote volunteering opportunities for young people to interact, engage and support older persons in the family, the workplace and society at large.
6.2.5 Resolutions of the Sixth Session of the Fourth Pan African Parliament During the Sixth Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament, it was resolved that the PAP should: (i) advocate for the fulfilment of the Abuja Declaration targets and sustained investments in the health sector to achieve the AU Catalytic Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), AU Agenda 2063, the Fast Track targets and the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS; 11 (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) underscore the urgency to mobilise national resources by front-loading investments, particularly in the health sector and through innovative mechanisms, including national health insurance, tax and fiscal space, and corporate social responsibility; advocate for the training needs and sensitisation of health professionals in addressing stigma and discrimination in health facilities towards people living with HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria; support the implementation of the Plan of Action of the Africa High Level Parliamentary Meeting on Achieving Health Targets and Leaving No One Behind; strengthen partnership with the AUC and UNAIDS in order to;  facilitate the collaboration and exchanges among regional and national parliamentary bodies with a view to enhance the capacity of parliamentarians to monitor all policy and programme areas, as well as the budgetary and legislative activities; promote a reporting mechanism through the Annual Conference of African Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments on the health situation across the continent and the implementation of the Abuja Declaration; advocate for increased pledges from all donor countries during the Sixth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2019; support the participation of PAP Parliamentarians in World Health Organisation and other United Nations Annual High Level Meetings on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria; and encourage AU Member States to establish mechanisms for effective oversight and accountability of African governments in engagements between the Executive and Legislative branches of government and between parliaments and civil society on the HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria responses.
    (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) collaborate with AUC, NEPAD Agency, RECs and Member States for the development and implementation of legal policies and instruments related to nutrition and food systems; encourage AU Member States to take effective measures to strengthen nutrition programmes, policies and initiatives in Africa; partner with the NEPAD Agency and FAO to organise annual events during the PAP statutory meetings to sensitise parliamentarians on issues related to nutrition and food security; encourage NEPAD Agency and FAO to provide technical and financial support to parliamentarians and their respective countries in implementing key nutrition activities; monitor the effective implementation of priority nutrition and food security indicators stipulated in the SDGs, Malabo Declaration and other relevant commitments that addressed hunger and malnutrition in Africa; share basic and important concepts on nutrition and food systems; nutrition programmes, policies, and initiatives in Africa and present global linkages and opportunities for improved nutrition and food systems; advocate for structured, specific investments that could remove barriers and make it possible for smallholder farming communities to participate in inclusive local food value chains; 12 (xiii) (xiv) (xv) (xvi) initiate advocacy activities to expedite the signature, ratification, domestication and implementation of:   the Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area; and the Protocol to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment; urge the Members of PAP to popularise the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to the Members of their respective national parliaments and communities in order to promote national ownership of the benefits of the AfCFTA and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons in the socio-economic development of Africa; work in collaboration with national Parliaments and their Members
 to urge their respective governments, where applicable, to sign, ratify, domesticate and implement the AfCFTA and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons; regularly monitor progress on, and encourage domestic parliamentary oversight over, AU Member States’ signature, ratification and implementation of the AfCFTA and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons; (xvii) work towards the harmonisation of Member States’ laws, policies and structures in order to facilitate the implementation of the AfCFTA and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons; (xviii) provide the Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration with adequate support for (xix) (xx) its activities aimed at advancing regional and continental integration; encourage the African Union Member States to amend the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) into a living document whose relevance should be felt by the African citizenry; deploy its mandate to ensure universal ratification of the following AU legal instruments:    African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption ( 2003); African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, Addis Ababa (2007); Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union Relating to the Pan-African Parliament (2014) (PAP Protocol); and Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights, Malabo (2014).
 (xxi) (xxii) (xxiii) (xxiv) (xxv) request from the African Union additional financial and technical support to ensure campaigns for fast tracking the ratification and domestication of the above mentioned treaties; support the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC) to deploy its mandate in combating corruption in Africa and continue to advocate for the mandate of the board to be strengthened, as stipulated in the various AU decisions; encourage National Parliaments to effectively monitor the nomination process of the AUABC members by ensuring that nominees fulfilled requirements of integrity, credibility and competence in the subject matter of combating corruption in Africa; continue to advocate for the strengthening of the mandate of the AUABC, as stipulated in the various AU decisions and to strengthen collaboration with the AUABC for an effective exercise of its mandate in combating corruption in Africa; support the role of African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption-APNAC in elevating and promoting the culture of transparency, probity and accountability by 13 (xxvi) engaging with the Multi-Sectoral Working Group on Combating Corruption at national, regional and continental levels; strongly condemn the continuing incidences of attacks and other human rights violations, including killings, mutilations, ritual rape and grave robberies against persons with albinism on the continent; (xxvii) endorse the Regional Action Plan on Albinism in Africa (2017-2021), which lays out specific measures for addressing attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism through prevention, protection, accountability as well as equality and non- discrimination measures; (xxx) (xxix) (xxviii) urge the AU Member States to review, reform or abolish, where necessary, existing legislation, policies and practices that do not comply with international and regional human rights standards or do not effectively protect the human rights of persons with albinism; call on the AU Member States to take all measures
 necessary to adopt and implement the Regional Action Plan and to ensure the effective protection and promotion of the rights of persons with albinism and members of their families; urge the organs of the Pan-African Parliament to give due regard to the Regional Action Plan within their mandates; ratify and ensure the effective implementation of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa and other relevant Protocols; take effective steps to promote regional cooperation for the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution and punishment of cross-border crimes affecting persons with albinism, notably trafficking of persons, children and body parts; (xxxii) (xxxi) (xxxiii) collaborate with civil society and other interested partners to demystify albinism, including through awareness raising campaigns across the five regions of Africa; (xxxiv) establish the PAP desk on climate change to provide technical support to Member States and serve as a centre for monitoring, evaluating and networking on climate change activities and issues at the national, regional, continental and international levels; (xxxv) hold its First Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament in Kigali, Rwanda in October 2018; 6.2.6 First Ordinary Session of the Fifth Pan African Parliament The Committee was informed that the First Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament was held from 22nd October to 2nd November, 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme, “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.’’ During the Session, Honourable Chief Fortune Charumbira, MP from the Parliament of Zimbabwe was elected as the Fourth Vice President representing the Southern African Region.
The Session concluded with the adoption of the resolutions and recommendations highlighted below.

(i) The African Union Assembly to address concerns, challenges and costs relating to the free movement of people.

14 (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) The African Union Assembly to proceed with a progressive or phased approach in facilitating free movement of persons on the continent.
The Member States to educate citizens on the concept of free movement of persons by focusing on the development angle to counter negative biases.

The Member States to mainstream free movement of persons in all policies such as trade, education, tourism and labour, amongst others.

The Member States to encourage their governments to invest in labour market competiveness, to compete on international labour markets.
(vi) All Parliaments in Africa to adopt appropriate legislative and other measures to fight corruption.

(vii) Governments of the African Union Member States to implement, without delay, appropriate means to fight corruption.

(ix) (viii) The African Union and Member States to strengthen and support the work of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption as a leading continental mechanism for the fight against corruption.
The African Union Member States to undertake necessary legal and institutional reforms, including reform of the criminal, administrative and civil laws, to combat and break the cycle of illicit financial flows in Africa, especially in the mining and other sectors dealing with exports and imports.

The African Union Member States to introduce teachings on ethical and anti-corruption values in school curricula at all levels.
(x) (xi) All women, particularly women parliamentarians, to take leadership to impart anti- corruption values to their families, communities and society at large and to take the stance to fight corruption.

(xii) The African Union Member States and the African Union to encourage gender mainstreaming in accession to leadership positions and in the fight against corruption.
The First Session of the Fifth Pan African Parliament resolved to do the following: (i) (ii) (iii) Advocate for the ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which only required fifteen ratifications to enter into force; Adopt the first draft of the Model Disability Law and request its submission to regional consultations in order to get inputs from African citizens, grassroot organisations and other interested stakeholders; Strengthen the collaboration and exchanges among regional and national parliamentary bodies, with a view to enhance the capacity of parliamentarians to monitor all policies and programme areas, as well as the budgetary and legislative activities towards disability mainstreaming; (iv) Celebrate the illustrious life of Mr Kofi Atta Annan for his tremendous contribution to (v) (vi) the quest for durable peace and sustainable development in the world; Pay tribute to the tremendous achievements of the highly distinguished Mr Kofi Atta Annan as an outstanding African Secretary General of the UN and a shining example of leadership; Institute a special award in the name of Mr Kofii Atta Annan, as a lasting tribute to a great statesman of Africa and the world, which would be bestowed during each October 15 Session of the Pan African Parliament upon any African Career Diplomat who would embody the spirit of Mr Koffi Atta Annan; (vii) Request the Bureau of the Pan African Parliament to take immediate measures to determine the modalities for, and to operationalise the Kofi Atta Annan Award; (ix) (viii) The First Vice President of the Pan African should be appointed head of election observer missions at the Parliament, to monitor how election observer missions are managed by the Pan African Parliament and the African Union Commission; PAP to meet the current quota of 40 per cent of its members constituting election observer missions; The Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution should
 designate one of its members to join those designated by the Regional Caucuses; The Member of the Committee should work closely with the team of observers responsible for drafting the election observer mission terms of reference, and be responsible for presenting the country report of the elections to the Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution, and also to the Plenary; (xi) (x) (xii) The leadership position of observer missions should be formalised with the African Union Commission; (xiii) The Bureau should engage with the African Union Commission to ensure that the Pan African Parliament delegation played a more visible role, and also resolve any logistical challenges that the members of Parliament may face during election observer missions; and (xiv) The Bureau should explore ways to enable the Pan African Parliament to conduct its own missions, just like regional parliaments such as ECOWAS Parliament and the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
6.2.7 Recommendations by the Delegation The Zambian delegation to the Pan African Parliament recommended to the Committee that a platform be provided for the delegation to directly present its reports on the floor of the House.

This would contribute to greater interrogation and debate on the work of the Pan African Parliament as well the recommendations and resolutions that arose from meetings of the continental body.
Further, this was in keeping with the recommendation of the Parliamentary Reforms and Modernisation Committee, which in its Report to the House for the Second Session of the Twelfth National Assembly, recommended that reports of delegations to international meetings be tabled in the House.
16 6.3 REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM (SADC-PF 6.3.1 The 43rd Plenary Assembly (a) Symposium Organised on the Sidelines of the 43rd Plenary Assembly Session – “Deepening SADC Economic Integration through Industrialisation: The Role of Parliaments” The Committee was informed that a Symposium focusing on the theme of the Plenary Assembly was held on the sidelines of the 43rd Plenary Assembly.

During the Symposium, various presentations relating to the theme were made.
The Symposium was aimed at understanding and appreciating the SADC Common Agenda, which summarised the key strategies and policies of SADC and was underpinned by a series of principles and policies, including the: (i) promotion of sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development that could ensure poverty alleviation with the ultimate objective of its eradication; (ii) promotion of common political values, systems, and other shared values, which were transmitted through institutions that were democratic, legitimate and effective; and (iii) promotion, consolidation and maintenance of democracy, peace and security.
The Symposium, therefore, called upon SADC Parliaments to: (i) their Governments urge Industrialisation Strategy in national policies and practices; to understand and mainstream the SADC Regional (ii) be involved in the economic integration process through industrialisation via their legislative, budget and oversight roles; (iii) promote legislative reform that could address any gaps in domestic legislation; and (iv) strengthen Parliamentary oversight on the implementation of relevant domestic and international instruments by the Executive and be involved in the domestication process of regional and international instruments that seek to promote industrialisation and economic integration.
(b) Other Deliberations Furthermore, various other matters of regional importance were deliberated on, culminating into resolutions.

In addition, the Forum adopted various reports of its Standing Committees, in line with their respective mandates.

The key resolutions passed during the 43rd Plenary Assembly Session are listed below.

(i) Motion on Strengthening Developmental States in SADC as a Countervailing response to Neo –Liberal Macro-Economic Policies of the World Bank and the IMF.
(ii) Motion on Ending Sexual Harassment Against Women in Workplaces in SADC Member States.

(iii) Motion on Addressing the Negative Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Food Security in the SADC Region.

17 (iv) Motion on National Parliaments to promote Electoral Integrity in the SADC Region; (v) Motion on the Gendered Dimension of Land Ownership and Agricultural Industrialisation in the SADC Region.
(vi) Resolution on the Enhancement of Lobby Missions to SADC Heads of State on the Transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a Regional Parliament.
6.3.2 The 44th Plenary Assembly Session The theme of the 44th Plenary Assembly Session was “Transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a Regional Parliament.” 6.3.2.1 Update on the Transformation of SADC-PF into a Regional Parliament The Committee learnt that the 43rd Plenary Assembly of the Forum, meeting in Luanda, Angola approved the transformation proposal of the Forum into a SADC Regional Parliament through a phased approach that was premised on the reinforcement of linkages with the SADC policy organs through consensus building.
This new proposal marked a significant departure from previous proposals, in that it did not affect the territorial and parliamentary sovereignty of any Member State, and entailed legislative powers through enhanced model law-making only.

On this basis, the Forum President briefed the delegates to the 44th Plenary Assembly Session as set out below.
The Forum caused the matter to be tabled as an Agenda item for discussion at the level of the SADC Council and Summit Meetings which met in August 2018 in Windhoek, Namibia.

At the same time, lobby initiatives were conducted by the Forum to engage Speakers of SADC Parliaments to apprise the relevant Cabinet Ministers on the proposal in view of increasing the coherence of advocacy efforts to lobby for the proposed transformation.
During the Summit, the Forum President made a presentation in which he explained that once transformed, the Regional Parliament would be a subservient organ that would maintain formal and legal relations with the other SADC Institutions under the authority of the Summit.

As national parliaments were the driving force behind the transformation, the SADC Regional Parliament would respect the sovereignty of the SADC Member States.
In this regard, the Regional Parliament would carry out the complementary functions listed below.
(i) Facilitate the ratification and domestication of SADC Protocols and other international law instruments; (ii) Strengthen and facilitate the effective implementation of SADC Policies and programmes, thereby enhancing SADC implementation capacity; (iii) Help to accelerate the pace of cooperation and regional integration through the engagement of Regional Parliaments; and (iv) Draft and approve model laws of common interest towards the improvement of the quality of life of the citizens within SADC.
It was clarified that the establishment of the SADC Regional Parliament would not result in any increased costs to the Member States as all operations and financing would be based on the 18 current arrangements where member parliaments contributed equal annual subscriptions and the Forum undertook resource mobilisation through various programme activities.
The current Headquarters in Windhoek, Namibia, would continue to be the seat of the Regional Parliament and sessions would continue to be held on a rotational basis in each SADC Member State as had been happening.

Based on the foregoing, the SADC Summit of Heads of States and Government approved that the issue of the SADC Parliament be maintained on the Agenda of the Summit for its forthcoming meeting in March, 2019.
In this vein, the SADC Summit directed that consultations should be held with Member States to assess the viability of the SADC Parliament, pursuant to which the Forum in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat should report to the SADC Council on the tenor of the consultations.

Based on the above, all Regional Parliaments applauded the efforts made towards the transformation process and undertook to conclude all consultations by end of January, 2019.
The 44th Plenary Assembly Session, accordingly, resolved that upon concurrence of the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, the SADC-PF be transformed into a SADC Regional Parliament.
6.3.2.2 Interim Mission Statement – Zimbabwe 2018 Harmonised Elections The Plenary Assembly also noted and adopted the Interim Statement of the SADC PF Election Observation Mission to the Zimbabwe 2018 harmonised elections, which Mission was led by the Right Hon Speaker of the National Assembly, Justice Dr Patrick Matibini, SC.
The Plenary Assembly noted the mature manner in which the people of Zimbabwe conducted themselves before and during the elections but regretted the violence and subsequent shooting which occurred in the lead up to the announcement of final results.

Once the Final Report was ready, all Regional Parliaments would be availed a copy.

6.3.2.3 Other Deliberations Other Motions adopted and resolutions passed during the 44th Plenary Assembly Session are set out below.
(i) Motion on Accelerating Growth and Transformation for Improved Livelihoods through the Implementation of the African Union’s Malabo Declaration.

(ii) Motion on Moving towards Sustainable Peace and Shared Economic Development in SADC.

(iii) Motion on the Promotion of Regional Trade using Currency Convertibility and Repatriation and Regional Payment Settlement Systems.
(iv) Motion on the Role of SADC Parliaments in Securing an Enabling Environment for Inclusive, Safe and Sustainable Access to Technology.

(v) Motion on Promoting Infrastructure Development and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development.
19 6.4 REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE FORUM OF PARLIAMENTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE GREAT LAKES REGION (FP-ICGLR) The Committee was informed that the Zambian Delegation to the Ninth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly, which was led by Hon Mwimba H Malama, MP, Second Deputy Speaker, comprised Mr A B Malama, MP; Member of the Executive Committee of the FP/ICGLR; Mr L Nyirenda, MP; Mr E J Muchima, MP; Ms D Mwape, MP; Ms M Lubezhi, MP and Mr F Nabulyato, Deputy Principal Clerk of Committees (SC) and Secretary to the delegation.
The Plenary Assembly was held from 4th to 6th December in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

6.4.1 DELIBERATIONS 6.4.1.1 Report of the Eighth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly of the FP/ICGLR The Plenary Assembly noted and adopted the report of the Eighth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly of the FP/ICGLR held from 5th to 6th December, 2017, Bangui, Central African Republic.
6.4.1.2 The Security Situation in ICGLR Member Countries The reports presented below, pertaining to the security situation in ICGLR Member Countries were received and considered by the Plenary Assembly.
(i) The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) The Plenary Assembly noted the insecurity and humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo brought about by destabilising activities of both national and foreign armed groups and by the persistence of these armed groups especially the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and any other active armed groups operating in eastern DRC.
The Plenary Assembly, thereafter: (a) welcomed the progress made in the electoral process, especially with respect to the (b) electoral calendar which set the date of general elections on 23rd December, 2018 stressed that it was crucial that the electoral process be conducted in a peaceful and credible manner, as provided by the Constitution of the DRC and in accordance with the ICGLR Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, to ensure stability, rule of law and the consolidation of constitutional democracy in the DRC; (c) urged the Government of the DRC and all the parties concerned to ensure that a conducive environment existed to the holding of the presidential and legislative elections that were free, fair, credible, open, transparent and peaceful; strongly condemned all armed groups and other criminals operating in the DRC and violations of international humanitarian law and other applicable standards of international law and human rights violations, including attacks on the civilian population, sexual and (d) 20 (e) (f) gender-based violence and recruitment and use of children as combatants and called on the DRC Government to conduct a thorough investigation into the atrocities in order to bring perpetrators to book; the violence and violations of human rights in eastern DRC, particularly the multiple and successive brutal killings, sexual and gender violence perpetrated with extreme brutality against civilian populations committed by armed groups such as ADF-NALU, FDLR, FNL and LRA and urged the Government of DRC to carry out thorough investigations on the atrocities; encouraged the Government of the DRC to promote and strengthen cooperation with MONUSCO and the countries of the region to continue the military offensive against the FDLR, ADF-NALU and other negative forces, with particular attention to neutralise their command structures; and (g) expressed concern at the alarming humanitarian situation in the DRC, including the displacement of people, food insecurity, epidemics and natural disasters and called on the humanitarian agencies to continue supporting the internally displaced persons (IDPs), vulnerable persons and refuges by meeting their needs.
(ii) The Central African Republic (CAR) The Plenary Assembly noted with deep concern despite the return to normal constitutional order, the deterioration of the security situation as a result of the continuing destabilising activities of armed groups and other criminals who perpetrated acts of violence in Bangui and the rest of the country against civilians, United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian workers, as well as violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations.
The Plenary Assembly also noted Resolution 2399 (2018) of the United Nations Security Council adopted on 30th January, 2018 extending the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
The Plenary Assembly, thereafter: (a) (b) (c) (d) strongly condemned the violence perpetrated with impunity by armed groups and other negative forces on the civilian population and international forces and humanitarian workers, and discouraged acts of incitement to ethnic and religious hatred and violence that threatened peace and stability in the Central African Republic; called upon the Government of the Central African Republic to take necessary measures in cooperation with its partners to implement the security services reforms including disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration and repatriation (DDRR) programme and the rebuilding of a professional and republican security service that would reflect the entire Central African Republic; requested the Government of the Central African Republic to work in accordance with the constitutional order, in conjunction with all the legitimate institutions in both the quest and implementation of genuine solutions for a speedy return to security and lasting peace in the country; urged humanitarian agencies and NGOs to continue supporting and assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs) or refugees in neighbouring countries and to implement a 21 programme designed to support women and vulnerable people who were deprived of all means, to achieve their reintegration; (e) encouraged the reactivation of bilateral joint committees between the Central African Republic, on one hand, and the Republic of Chad, Cameroon, and the Sudan, on the other, in order to cooperate in combating cross-border movements of armed groups and other criminals; requested the Government to take necessary measures to improve good governance practices in general and especially the fight against corruption to ensure that the resources mobilised could lead economic recovery in the country; and (f) (g) called upon the international community to take appropriate measures to fully lift the arms embargo on the Central African Republic in order to facilitate the restoration of a functional security force and to lift the measures concerning the diamond trade within the framework of the Kimberley process, among others.
(iii) The Republic South Sudan The Plenary Assembly: (a) welcomed the declaration of a permanent ceasefire based on the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities as set out in the Khartoum Declaration of Agreement, and urged all conflicting parties to comply with the permanent ceasefire in order to create a political and security environment conducive to the implementation of all other signed agreements; (b) expressed its support for the agreements signed in general, particularly the peace agreement signed on 12th September, 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, between the Government and the majority of the opposition groups in South Sudan, and particularly thanked H.E Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda and H.E Omer Al-Bashir, President of the Republic of the Sudan for the facilitation of the Khartoum talks, which helped revive the peace process; and (c) urged humanitarian agencies to proceed with their support and assistance to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) or refugees and advocate for the implementation of an urgent programme to assist women and the vulnerable persons to ensure their integration.
(iv) The Republic of Burundi The Plenary Assembly noted the remarkable progress made at the political level, as evidenced by the organisation of the Constitutional Referendum held on 17th May, 2018 without any incident and the smooth running of the inter-Burundian dialogue and the roadmap for the 2020 general elections.

It also noted the massive return of refugees from the United Republic of Tanzania and other refugees from other countries.
The Plenary Assembly thereafter urged the Governments of neighbouring countries to Burundi harbouring Burundian refugees and the regional and international community to continue promoting the voluntary return of Burundian refugees to their country and those who did not wish to return to be resettled far from common borders in accordance with the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees.
22 The Plenary Assembly implored the Secretary General to continue monitoring the security situation in the DRC, the CAR and South Sudan and to report progress at the next Session of the Plenary Assembly.

6.4.1.3 Parliamentary Initiative for Peace, Security and Good Governance in the Great Lakes Region The Plenary Assembly resolved to improve the inter-institutional cooperation between the ICGLR and the FP/ICGLR by providing a legal framework between the two institutions.
It also considered the establishment of a common framework for the implementation of the status of former Heads of State in the ICGLR Member States and resolved that the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the ICGLR be requested to authorise the revision of the Pact and the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance with a view of inserting provisions setting up a common framework for the establishment and /or implementation of the status of former Heads of State.
6.4.1.3.1 The 2018-2020 Action Plan of the FP/ICGLR The Plenary Assembly adopted the 2019-2020 Annual Plan of the FP/ICGLR as presented by the Secretary-General of the FP/ICGLR.

The Action Plan described the political, social, economic and humanitarian actions of the FP/ICGLR and programmes designed to meet key challenges of the priority areas.

It also assessed risks and gave possible alternative risk solutions.
The Plan established an implementation plan and coordination mechanisms, and laid out the follow-up and assessment scheme of the programmed activities.

The Plan of Action would be carried out by the FP/ICGLR Committees during the year 2019-2020.
6.4.1.3.2 The Budget of the FP/ICGLR for the year 2019-2020 The Plenary Assembly approved the US $ 2 645 404.00 as budget of the FP/ICGLR for the year 2019-2020 to be funded through the annual contributions of member parliaments 6.4.1.3.3 Annual activities of the General Secretariat of the FP/ICGLR for the year December, 2018 The Plenary Assembly noted and approved the activities carried out by the General Secretariat of the FP/ICGLR for the year December, 2018.
6.4.1.3.4 Date and venue of the Tenth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly of the FP/ICGLR The Plenary Assembly resolved that the Tenth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly of the FP-ICGLR would take place in Bujumbura, Burundi from 10th to 12th December, 2019.

However, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia were identified as countries that had not yet hosted any Plenary Assembly.

To this effect, Zambia indicated her desire to host the Eleventh Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly in the year 2020.
23 6.4.1.3.5 The Brazzaville Declaration The Committee learnt that the Plenary Assembly adopted the Brazzaville Declaration as set out below.
(a) Pursuant to the provisions of Articles 4 and 22, paragraph 1 of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region, signed on 15th December, 2006 in Nairobi, Republic of Kenya; (b) Whereas the provisions of Articles 2 and 6 of Inter-Parliamentary Accord establishing the Forum of Parliaments of the Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region signed on December 4th, 2008 in Kigali, Republic of Rwanda; (c) Having considered and deliberated, during its Ninth Ordinary Session held from 4th to 6th December, 2018, in Brazzaville, on the items on its agenda, the Plenary Assembly adopted the resolutions listed below.
        Following up on the political, security and humanitarian situation in the Republic of Burundi; Following up on the political, security and humanitarian situation in Central African Republic; Following up on the political, security and humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Following up on the political, security and humanitarian situation in the Republic of South Sudan; Improving inter-institutional cooperation between the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Forum of Parliaments of the Member States of the ICGLR; Requesting the Summit of Heads of States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region to authorise a revision of the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance in order to factor-in provisions setting up a common framework for adoption and /or implementation of the status of Former Heads of State; Enforce the prevention of terrorism and regionalisation of armed groups in the Great Lakes region; Enforce the prevention and suppression of sexual and gender-based violence in the Great Lakes region.
1.
Took note of the following reports: (b) The annual activity report of three committees on the “Peace and Security”, “Democracy and Good Governance” and “Gender, Children and Vulnerable Persons” for the year 2018; (c) The Parliamentary Fact-finding Mission report made from 10th to 11th July, 2018 to Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi; (d) The report of the Legislative Election Observer Mission conducted from 27th August to 6th September, 2018 in the Republic of Rwanda; 24 (e) The research report, including findings, conclusions and recommendations on the Parliamentary Initiative for Peace, Security and Good Governance in the Great Lakes Region.
2.

Adopted: (a) the Activities and Financial Report of the Forum of Parliaments of the FP-ICGLR for the year 2018; the 2019-2020 Action Plan of the Parliaments Forum of the ICGLR; the 2019-2020 budget of the Forum of Parliaments of the ICGLR.

(b) (c) 3.

Authorised the General Secretariat of the FP-ICGLR to begin the process of revising the founding documents of the FP-ICGLR; 4.
Decided in accordance with Article 9, paragraph 2 of the Inter-Parliamentary Accord, the establishment of an ad hoc Committee on Finance and urged the Secretary General of the FP-ICGLR to draft the terms of reference, including the timeframe of the Committee; 5.
Noted with satisfaction the success of the Legislative elections held from 2nd to 4th September, 2018 in the Republic of Rwanda which took place in a free, fair and transparent environment in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 3 of the ICGLR Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance; 6.
Was informed of the remarkable progress made at the political, security and humanitarian levels in general and in particular the massive refugee return to the Republic of Burundi and called on neighbouring countries hosting Burundian refugees to continue to facilitate their voluntary return in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government of the Republic of Burundi; 7.
Requested the Government of the Central African Republic to take the necessary measures, in Disarmament, Demobilisation, Reintegration and Repatriation (DDRR) Programme for ex-combatants and the Security Sector Reform (SSR) as well as the reconstruction of a military institution and security services which would be professional, republican, as well as equipped and representative of the Central African Republic; 8.
Expressed its support for the agreements signed in general, particularly the Peace Agreement signed on 12 September 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, between the Government and the majority of opposition groups in South Sudan, and particularly thanked their Excellences Omer Al-bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, for their contribution to the facilitation of the Khartoum talks that made the revival of the peace process in the Republic of South Sudan possible; 9.
Decided to deploy Parliamentary Fact-finding Missions to the Central African Republic and the Republic of South Sudan respectively, to evaluate recent developments on the political, security and humanitarian situation in these countries and to take up the 25 challenges in order to support the national parliaments of these two countries in consolidating sustainable peace processes and national reconciliation; 10.
Encouraged the Congolese people and institutions to move forward with the forthcoming general elections scheduled to take place on 23rd December, 2018 and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to hold free, fair, transparent and credible elections in accordance with the Protocol of the ICGLR on Democracy and Good Governance; 11.
Noted with satisfaction, after a reflection and discussion session on the theme: “Ten years of the FO-ICGLR: Achievements, challenges and Future Prospects”, the achievements of the FP-ICGLR in the five priority areas of intervention of the Forum and encouraged the FP-ICGLR to continue to provide a platform to the national Parliaments for the resolution of the challenges facing the Great Lakes Region; 12.
Expressed appreciation to the parliaments of the ICGLR Member States that had already contributed to the budget of the FP-ICGLR and appealed to other Parliaments that had not yet done so to meet their financial obligations, including arrears to enable the FP-ICGLR to meet the expectations of Parliaments of ICGLR Member States; 13.

Decided that the Tenth Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly will be held from 10th to 12th December, 2019 in Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi.
6.5 REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN, PACIFIC- EUROPEAN UNION JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY (ACP-EU JPA) - 28TH NOVEMBER TO 5TH DECEMBER, 2018, COTONOU, BENIN The Committee was informed that the Zambian delegation comprised Dr Sebastian C. Kopulande, MP, as Leader of the delegation; Mrs. Mwansa C Ngulube, First Secretary – Political and Administration at the Zambian Embassy in Belgium; Mr. Kabwibwi Mubanga, Deputy Principal Clerk Research and Mr. Sylvester Kaonga, Research Officer and incoming Desk Officer.
6.5.1 Main Outcomes of the 52nd Session of the ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly and the 36TH ACP-EU JPA 6.5.1.1 The Fight against Cybercrime and Drug Trafficking The Committee was informed that this was the subject of the report by the Committee on Political Affairs to which the Zambian delegate belonged.

The Report highlighted the fact that globalisation had turned the world into one big marketplace, creating opportunities for fast growing economies.
However, with these opportunities came risks, and the proliferation of the online market that had led to a huge increase in cybercrime and drug trafficking.

The Report acknowledged that these activities, conducted on an ever-larger scale, were very difficult to comprehend, control and reverse.
Therefore, the Report called for urgent action to curb them through increased trans-national cooperation both in and between different sectors and the promotion of technical research, capacity-building and consumer education.
26 6.5.1.2 Combating the Destabilising Effects of Wildlife Trafficking in ACP Countries and Promoting the Implementation of the External Dimension of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking The Committee learnt that this was a subject of the Report of the Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment.

The Report stressed the need for strong law enforcement to combat the supply of illegal wildlife products by criminal networks.
The Report called on ACP countries to draw up a joint Action Plan against wildlife trafficking and invited the international community to recognise the significant progress made in combating wildlife trafficking by organisations such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Interpol.

The Report further stressed the need to make wildlife trafficking a standalone priority in the new Post-Cotonou ACP-EU Partnership.
Equally, ACP countries were urged to empower their local populations to sustainably manage their natural resources, and the EU to increase financial support for ACP countries and projects.

6.5.1.3 The Impact of the Rise of Populism on Globalisation This subject was debated in the plenary session.
In their debates, Members noted that populism had been gaining considerable strength in the past few years and had assumed a much more widespread form than before, including at the level of cross-country and cross-regional movements (Yellow Vest Protesters in France; the Five Star Movement in Italy, the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America, the debate on Britain’s exit from the EU popularly known as the Brexit, among others).
Members also noted that populism was a challenge to the existing political and financial establishment, at national but also at supra- national level.

In the context of an ever more globalised world, concern was raised on the continued spread of populism and its capacity to pose a threat to democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
It was observed that at European level, populism and ‘anti-system’ movements had brought about anti-EU discourses, which in the long run could threaten the European integration project.

At the end of the debate, Members unanimously adopted resolutions on the subject, which highlighted, inter alia, the need to combat the underlying causes of populist movements such as corruption, poverty and the lack of a fair distribution of the benefits of globalisation between countries.
6.5.1.4 Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Development at the Heart of Economic Transformation in ACP countries This was a subject of the Report by the Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade.

The Report highlighted that the private sector was an engine of wealth creation and economic growth in market economies, generating the bulk of jobs and income in developing countries and mobilising domestic resources sustainably.
The Report underlined in particular the importance of micro, small and medium enterprises as engines of wealth creation in ACP countries.
In view of the challenges that the SME sector has been facing in ACP countries, the Report recommended, inter alia, the following as essential for their development: 27 (i) stepping up the implementation of policies and legal frameworks that were business- friendly; (ii) promoting the development of infrastructures and stable national institutions so as to maintain an environment conducive to the creation and development of SMEs; and (iii) improving access by SMEs and micro-enterprises to flexible financing that was tailored to their funding needs and differing circumstances.
6.5.1.5 The Impact of Climate Change in Particular on Small Island Developing States This was a subject of the second urgent topic of discussion by the Assembly.

The discussion was informed by the Special Report on “Global Warming of 1.5ºC” by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

It was highlighted in the debate that the Report contained a number of serious warnings.
The Report warned that in the event that global warming went beyond 1.5ºC (above pre-industrial levels), a number of “tipping points” would be breached leading to severe environmental and economic damage and social disruption as well as increasing migration and instability.

Members expressed concern that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) would be among the most affected, with rising sea levels, extreme weather and major damage to their ecosystems, in particular coral reefs.
The Assembly called for urgent multilateral action to tackle and minimise the negative the effects of climate change.

The ACP-EU JPA also debated the following two subjects without resolution: (i) the concrete involvement of the international community in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel; and (ii) young people with disabilities in the context of sustainable development.
On the involvement of the international community in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, Members expressed concern that international actors were increasingly becoming the targets of extremism, with 150 UN peacekeepers killed in Mali in the course of their work.

Members noted that until poverty, unemployment, and climate change prevalent in the Sahel were tackled, terrorism would continue to pose a major threat.
With respect to young people with disabilities, Members argued that youth with disabilities were among the most marginalised and the poorest and that the disabled youth were more likely to face severe social, economic, and civic disparities compared with those without disabilities, even in developed countries.
Members were of the view that more effort and support was needed to ensure that challenges facing youth with disabilities were adequately addressed, especially in light of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

6.5.1.6 The Status of Negotiations on the Post-Cotonou Agreement The Committee was informed that the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, signed in Cotonou on 23rd June, 2000, was concluded for a 20-year period from 2000 to 2020.
It was the most comprehensive partnership, guiding EU's relations with 79 countries from Africa, the Caribbean 28 and the Pacific (ACP).

In 2010, the Agreement was revised to adapt it to new challenges such as climate change, food security, regional integration, state fragility and aid effectiveness.

Given that its expiry date was fast approaching, negotiations on the post-Cotonou Agreement were launched in September, 2017.
The focus and key objectives of the negotiations were to: (i) secure a new legally binding framework adapted to current realities based on a modern and forward-looking agenda; (ii) explore new ways to achieve key interests and better address global challenges, such as inclusive growth, investment, job creation, sustainable development, peace, security and migration issues, human development, fundamental freedoms, human rights, rule of law and democratic principles; (iii) build a powerful alliance in international fora, as the EU and ACP countries represented more than half of the UN membership; (iv) develop a more tailored approach to Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific; and (v) draw lessons from forty-three years of EU-ACP collaboration in order to nurture the sustainable development roadmaps in place (UN2030 SGDs Agenda, Paris Climate Change Agreement, European Consensus on Development, Africa Agenda 2063, etc).
So far, the outcomes of the negotiations had highlighted the need for significant changes to be made to the existing EU arrangement with ACP countries.

The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of Agenda 2030 had been identified as key priorities.

General consensus existed on the need to take account of the deepening of regional dynamics and avoiding overlap between different frameworks.
However, there was difference of opinion with regard to the degree of regionalisation that should take place.

Many supported building alliances with the ACP partner countries to best promote common interests and values in different international contexts.

Civil society organisations had called for a more inclusive involvement of different types of non-state actors in all aspects of EU-ACP relations.
ACP countries had repeated their determination to 'stay united as a group’ and that the EU-ACP partnership should be consolidated through a formalised, comprehensive and legally binding framework.

6.5.1.7 Draft Report and Resolutions on the Strategic Significance and Dimension of the ACP- EU Partnership The Committee was informed that the resolutions on this subject matter were due for adoption during the next Joint Parliamentary Association (JPA) that would be held in March, 2019 in Romania.
This subject was tabled at the March, 2019 JPA and the need for a new overarching and legally binding framework that would build on the partnership’s previous achievements and values such as the United Nations Agenda 2030, was identified.

29 6.6 REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 138th IPU ASSEMBLY IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 24TH TO 28TH MARCH, 2018 6.6.1 General Debate on Strengthening the Global Regime for Migrants and Refugees: The Need for Evidence-Based Policy Solutions.
The Committee was informed that various Speakers of Parliament and Presiding Officers presented their views on the topic and the general consensus was that Parliaments should advocate for laws that could ensure that rights, according to internationally agreed Conventions and Protocols of migrants and refugees should be upheld.
Another Resolution that was adopted by the Governing Council to be circulated to all Parliaments for further discussion was, “Engaging the private sector in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially on renewable energy.” The Committee learnt that this would be an interesting topic for discussion by Members of Parliament in Zambia considering that tree cutting for making charcoal was an important issue to be addressed.
One question then could be asked was, “How can Members of Parliament in Zambia work with charcoal burners to ensure that for every tree cut, three other trees are planted?” 6.6.2 Topic for discussion at the 138 IPU Assembly Geneva, Switzerland, 14-18 October, 2019 The Committee was informed that the Governing Council had adopted the following topic for discussion at the forth coming IPU Assembly: “Strengthening Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation on Migration and Migration Governance in View of the Adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration”.
6.6.3 Standing Committees and Related Meetings (a) Standing Committee on Peace and International Security The Standing Committee on Peace and International Security held two sittings and examined the topic, “Sustaining Peace as a Vehicle for Achieving Sustainable Development.” (b) Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights The Committee Bureau met on 16 October, 2018 to consider proposals for the future programme of work for the Committee.
The Committee endorsed the subject item proposed by Morocco, “Strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation on migration and migration governance in view of the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration”.

30 (c) Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs The meeting of the Standing Committee on United Nations continued to contribute to “the UN process for a Global Compact for Migration” that would conclude with a major conference in December, 2019.
(d) Forum and Bureau of Women Parliamentarians At the 138th IPU Assembly, as a contribution to the Assembly, participants considered, from a gender parity point of view, the draft resolutions before the 138th Assembly: “Sustaining peace as a vehicle for sustainable development and engaging the private sector in implementing the SDGs, especially on renewable energy.” Two groups were formed to conduct the discussions.
The Forum subsequently proposed amendments, which were incorporated by the Standing Committees in the two draft resolutions.
As a contribution to the 139th Assembly, participants considered, from a gender perspective, the draft resolution before the 139th Assembly on “Strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation on migration and migration governance in view of the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.” (e) Forum of Young Parliamentarians of the IPU At the 138th IPU Assembly, the Forum of Young Parliamentarians met on Sunday, 25th March with seventy two young parliamentarians in attendance, 36 per cent of who were women.
The participants took stock of national efforts to enhance youth participation and highlighted the lowering of the age requirement to run for office, the adoption and implementation of youth electoral quotas and the enhancement of youth participation at the local and provincial levels as strategies conducive to the election of more young parliamentarians.
Welcoming the approval by the Executive Committee of the proposed amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules to enhance youth participation at the IPU, the young MPs called on the IPU to take the lead in identifying an internationally recognised target for youth participation in parliament.
A special segment of the Forum focused on the need to review and reform policies, where necessary, to guarantee the enjoyment of human rights and eliminate stigma and discrimination faced by young people living with HIV/AIDS.

At the 139th IPU, the Forum discussed recent national efforts to enhance youth participation.

It also reviewed youth participation at the IPU with a view to monitoring the implementation of the newly introduced measure to enhance youth participation at IPU Assemblies.
It noted that young parliamentarians made up 20 per cent of participants at the 139thAssembly and that the percentage should be increased at future Assemblies.

Plans to increase the number of young people in parliament must be put into action.

To support this work, the members of the Forum identified global targets for youth participation in parliament, which set the minimum standards to be achieved by 2035.
31 6.6.4 Debate on an Emergency Item The Committee was informed that at the 138th IPU Assembly, the delegates debated, “the Consequences of the US Declaration on Jerusalem and the rights of the Palestinian People in Jerusalem in the Light of the UN Charter and Resolutions” and agreed to, “Encourage the re- launch of the peace process through a multilateral initiative in accordance with United Nations resolutions to achieve the existence of a two-State solution on the basis of the 1967 borders.” At the 139th IPU Assembly an emergency item, “Climate Change – Let us not Cross the Line,” was debated and the Assembly agreed jointly to, “Strengthen oversight of national and international commitments, including government implementation of national legislation to enhance transparency, accountability and reporting of climate change.” 6.6.5 Zambia’s Participation at IPU Assemblies The Committee was informed that the Zambian delegation comprised the Hon Mr Speaker with one female and one male Member of Parliament, as well as representation from the Standing Orders Committees.
Currently, Zambia’s participation and positions obtained as follows: (i) General Debate- The Hon Speaker or Deputy Speaker Delegated; (ii) Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law- Mr Rogers Mwewa, MP elected by the Governing Council of the IPU for a four year term until 2022; (iii) Standing Committee on Peace and Security: Mrs Given Katuta, MP, Member of the Bureau until March 2019; (iv) Forum of Young Parliamentarians: Mr Pavyuma Kalobo, MP, Member of the Bureau until March 2019; and (v) Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP): The Clerk or Deputy Clerk or delegated representative.
6.6.6 IPU Seminars at the National Assembly of Zambia The Committee learnt that the Hon Mr Speaker and President of the IPU Zambia National Group had encouraged the Executive Committee of the IPU Zambia National Group to hold Seminars for all Members of Parliament as the number of Members that could travel to IPU Assemblies and Related Meetings was limited.

Experts from the IPU would be invited to make presentations to the Members of Parliament during such workshops.
6.6.7 Observations and Recommendations The following recommendations were made for participation in IPU Assemblies: the Zambian Parliament’s continued (i) The Zambian Parliament should continue to participate in the IPU Assemblies so that it can learn best practices and procedures by sharing experiences with other Parliaments worldwide; 32 (ii) Members of the IPU Zambia National Group Executive Committee and selected Members of Parliament should rotate as much as possible to give an opportunity for other Members of Parliament to participate in IPU Assemblies; (iii) IPU Seminars should continue to be held and experts invited from the IPU to apprise Members of the Zambian Parliament on current parliamentary issues on the global level; (iv) The Resolutions from IPU Assemblies and Related Meetings should continue to be sent to relevant Committees at the National Assembly of Zambia for further debate and action; to Government Ministries and other institutions that were expected to implement of the Resolutions; and (v) Topics on climate change, Sustainable Development Goals and migration should be considered at the next IPU Seminar for Members of Parliament in Zambia in 2019.
7.0 CONCLUSION The Committee wishes to reiterate the recommendation by the delegation to the Pan African Parliament that parliamentary delegations to international organisations should be enabled to directly present their Reports on the Floor of the House.
The Committee further recommends that apart from directly presenting Reports in the House, delegations should gather views on matters of national interest from relevant sections of the Zambian community in order for them to effectively represent the Zambian voice on regional and global fora.

The Committee is grateful to the office of the Speaker and the Clerk for the guidance rendered to it during the Session.
Dr M Malama, MP CHAIRPERSON June, 2019 LUSAKA 33 APPENDIX I – OFFICIALS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Ms C Musonda, Principal Clerk of Committees Mr F Nabulyato, Deputy Principal Clerk of Committees (SC) Mr S Chiwota, Senior Committee Clerk (SC) Mr C Chishimba, Committee Clerk Mrs G Chikwenya, Typist Mr M Chikome, Parliamentary Messenger Mr D Lupiya, Parliamentary Messenger 34 APPENDIX II THE DECLARATIONS REFLECTING THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARIANS’ FORUM HELD IN LONDON, UK 26 FEBRUARY – 1ST MARCH 2018 THE DECISIONS OF The following Declarations reflect the decisions of the Forum for parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth and the Pan – Commonwealth working group to put at the forefront of their agenda between then and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and beyond: a.
A commitment from parliamentarians to push for a focus on Commonwealth education in school curriculums; b.

A commitment from parliamentarians to push for a Commonwealth non- governmental policy implementation body to provide checks and balances on the policy proposals of governments and government ministers.

This should also ensure that the Commonwealth charter is consistent throughout policy and legislation; c. In Fiji for instance, there is now an emphasis on gender analysis in policy formulation.
The Forum proposed that there should be a commitment from parliamentarians across the Commonwealth to encourage youth perspective in policy making; d. A commitment from parliamentarians to push for evidence based health policy; e. A commitment to ensuring that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is ‘universally applied’ with specific regard to marginalised groups; and f. A campaign from parliamentarians for a pan-commonwealth placement scheme to for The be Commonwealths’ young people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
focusing on apprenticeships and internships introduced 1.

The following was a proposed letter for CHOGM 2018: Dear Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, We, the below, encourage our Heads of Government to formally support the creation of a Commonwealth Climate Change Council.

The council’s responsibilities will encompass, but are not limited to, the collection, monitoring, and tracking of natural disasters and natural catastrophic events connected to, or caused by global warming.
The creation of such a Council will raise the standard of awareness and assist with the preparedness for, and avoidance of natural disasters affecting Commonwealth member states.

We, the member States all are affected in one way or another by hurricanes, tropical storms, earthquakes, rising sea levels, flooding, temperature shifts, tsunamis, ocean acidifications, monsoons and droughts and advocate for a collective approach to monitoring the effects of these events.
From a financial, moral and economic standpoint, it is in our best interests to form such a Council as many member States may not be able to afford the required resources, technology and labour, necessary for such a commitment.

With the ever growing 35 concerns around the negative effects of climate change, we the below signatories, see the urgency of the creation of such a Council forthwith.
We advocate for the creation of a committee and action plan from the CHOGM to address the effects of global warming and natural disasters for Commonwealth members to establish a remit for the Commonwealth Climate Change Council.

This promissory note will be carbon copied to the following names with the hope of the topic being placed onto the agenda as a priority matter for discussion and commitment at CHOGM: Hon.
Emilia Lifaka MP, Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat Mr Akbar Khan, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Theresa May, in her capacity as incoming Chair in Office of the Commonwealth 36 APPENDIX III RESOLUTIONS OF PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION (CPA) AFRICA REGION CONFERENCE HELD IN GABORONE, BOTSWANA FROM 13TH TO 22ND AUGUST, 2018 49TH COMMONWEALTH THE The 49th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region Conference, comprising parliamentarians from national and sub-national branches, committed to the ideals of the African Union and the Commonwealth, held in Gaborone International Convention Centre, Gaborone, Botswana from 13th to 22nd August, 2018, having examined the theme “The Role of African Parliaments in fostering National and Regional Security”; Noted that the security and protection of lives and property constitute a fundamental objective of state policy in all African countries; Further noted that the African Union’s Agenda 2063 is a visionary plan which also emphasises peace building, the development of new security architecture and the defence of the territorial integrity of African nations; Acknowledged that African Parliaments have a role to play in containing old and emerging security threats by adopting robust legislative frameworks such as enhanced security budgets and effective oversight of security plans, programmes and policies; Emphasised that human trafficking, forced prostitution, child labour, child pornography and modern day slavery constitute gross violation of the fundamental rights of the victims; Concerned that climate and demographic changes have driven increased competition for resources between farmers and pastoralists in Africa, leading to intermittent conflicts between the two groups; Also concerned that widespread outsourcing of military and security functions to vigilante groups, private security and military companies has occasioned grave human rights violations, unaccountable movement of large quantities of arms, military equipment and ammunitions; Noting that defective electoral systems constitute a veritable threat to regional peace and security in Africa; Also noting that lack of food security constitutes causes of armed conflicts in Africa; Accordingly RESOLVED to: i. ii.
encourage African governments to sign or accede to international conventions, treaties and protocols relating to combating human trafficking; advise African parliaments to ratify and domesticate treaties, protocols and international conventions such as the 1926 Slavery Convention, the ILO Forced Labour Convention of 1957, the U.N, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDAW 1979, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 and the 37 iii.

iv.

v. vi.

vii.

viii.


ix.

a) i. ii.

iii.

iv.

v. vi.

vii.
Protocol to Protect, Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children 2000; urge African parliaments to enact laws and adopt legislative frameworks aimed at preventing and combating trafficking in persons, modern forms of slavery, child labour and sexual exploitation; urge African governments to establish facilities for proper counselling, treatment, care and rehabilitation of victims of these exploitative acts; encourage African governments to ensure just and effective investigation, prosecution and punishment of offenders and perpetrators of these crimes; further advise African governments to target immigration services and police departments for capacity building and provide sufficient resources to enable them combat the menace; call upon African parliaments to enact legislation that will regulate the activities of International Employment Agencies that recruit workers from Africa; further call upon African parliaments to intervene through youth-friendly budgeting, poverty reduction programmes and legislative measures aimed at skills-training, in order to proactively deal with the challenge of unemployment and the vulnerability of youths; and urge government and non-governmental organisations to sensitize the public on the dangers of human trafficking and modern day slavery; Understanding farmers/herders conflicts in Africa; the nexus between climate change and the incidence of urge African governments to mitigate against the causes of environmental degradation by promoting ranching of cattle and water-efficient agricultural practices; encourage African parliaments to emulate the examples in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and parts of Nigeria by passing legislation outlawing open grazing, pastoral nomadism, allocating grazing corridors for herders as well as afforestation; urge African governments to support pastoralists through weather insurance schemes, improved access to markets and support for destocking and restocking process in times of drought and extreme climate shocks; implore African parliaments to make budgetary allocations towards agricultural science and technological innovations; further implore African parliaments to enact legislation prohibiting unlawful mining, charcoal burning and deforestation, silting of rivers leading to flooding and archaic farming practices; request African parliaments to commit at least ten per cent of their national budgets to funding the agricultural sector, in line with the AU 2003 Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security; and appeal to industrial countries that are yet to commit to the 1997 Global Climate Treaty (Kyoto Protocol) to sign and ratify the Protocol and desist from further environmental pollution through greenhouse gas emissions; 38 b) i. ii.
iii.

iv.

v. vi.

vii.

c) i. ii.

iii.

iv.

v. vi.

d) i. ii.
Election in the Context of the Promotion of Regional Peace and Security; urge African parliaments to enact electoral laws that promote free, fair and transparent electoral administration, equitable political inclusivity and accessibility; encourage African parliaments to allocate sufficient funds to the electoral commissions and such allocations should be made on time; advise political parties, candidates and all stakeholders to comply with the legal framework, discourage the culture of intolerance and political animosity and eschew the use of intimidation, coercion and violence as tools for achieving political advantage; urge the electoral commissions to be independent, impartial and always strive to provide a level playing field for all contestants and to encourage dialogue when differences arise; call upon the Judiciary to be independent, impartial, fair and transparent in adjudicating and resolving electoral disputes; further call upon African governments to ensure that media (both electronic and print) comply with laws regulating their practice and prevent the filtration of sensational news capable of triggering polarisation and electoral violence; and encourage international organizations, the media and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to intensify Election Observation Missions (EOMs) with a view to detecting and reporting opportunistic and fraudulent electoral practices.
A Legislative Framework for the Regulation of Vigilante Groups, Private Security and Military Companies in Africa: Country Experiences enjoin Africa parliaments to establish legislative frameworks for registration, licensing, regulation and monitoring of the activities of vigilante groups, Private Military and Security Companies (PSMCs); encourage African parliaments to exercise effective oversight on Private Security and Military Companies(PSMCs); urge African governments to take appropriate measures to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish the misconduct of PSMCs and their personnel; call upon African governments to reaffirm and strengthen state responsibility for monopoly of legitimate use of force as well as identify this as a state function that should not be outsourced; further call upon African governments to invest in recruiting, training, equipping and resourcing their national standing armies and security agencies instead of outsourcing this important state function; and urge African governments and parliaments that are yet to sign and ratify the 1977 OAU Convention on the Elimination of Mercenaries in Africa, to do so.
Food Security and Sustainable growth: The role of Agricultural Revolution in Triggering Economic Development in Africa urge African governments to formulate national policies on food security which target transition from food importation to food sufficiency and exportation; encourage African governments to promote agriculture as the cornerstone for African development through a mix of factors, including innovations in natural resource management practices, the deployment of emerging agro-technologies, bio-safety systems, land reforms and value addition to our agricultural produce; 39 iii.
iv.

v. vi.
also encourage small scale farmers to organize themselves into cooperative societies to take advantage of loans, government support and cost-sharing; call upon African governments to subsidise farming activities through the provision of grants, extension services, market for produce, silos and storage facilities; call upon African entrepreneurs to continue establishing a variety of agro-processing industries to enhance agro-value chain; and urge governments in Africa to embark on land reforms that will encourage modern commercial agriculture instead of peasant subsistence farming.
Unanimously ADOPTED on Tuesday, 21st August, 2018 Resolutions Committee 1.

Hon.

Sarah Adwoa Safo, MP.

Deputy Majority Leader and Minister for Procurement (Ghana) – Chairperson Hon.

Faustina Caley, MP.

(Namibia) – Member Hon.

Beatrice Mwale, MP.

(Malawi) – Member Hon.

Simai Mohammed Said, (Zanzibar, Tanzania) – Member Hon.

Jude Emeka Idimogu, (Lagos, Nigeria) – Member Christopher Ashiekaa, Ph.D – Secretary 2.

3.

4.

5.

6.
3.

4.

5.

6.

Report of the CPA Constitutional Amendment Committee The Meetings of the Constitutional Amendment Committee were convened on 21st and 22nd November, 2018 at Bahari Beach Ledger Plaza Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The Meetings followed a directive by the Special Executive Committee Meeting that was held on 21st August, 2018 in Gaborone, Botswana which tasked the Constitutional Amendment Committee to draft a Roster for top leadership positions within the region and rules for conducting appointments in the region to implement the rotation system.
The Committee further looked at Article 46 and its consequential amendments to capture the intent of the resolutions of the 49th CPA Annual General Meeting which was held in August in Gaborone, Botswana.

The Meetings of the Constitutional Amendment Committee were chaired by Hon.

Osei-Kyei- Mensah Bonsu, MP (Ghana).


Proposed Constitutional Amendments Arising from the decision by the Annual General Meeting of the CPA Africa Region that was held in Gaborone, Botswana in August, 2018, the Constitutional Amendment Committee was tasked, among other things, to identify areas in the Constitution of the CPA Africa Region that needed to be amended.
In light of the aforesaid, the Constitutional Amendment Committee went on to propose amendments of the various critical areas of the Constitution in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Association in implementing its vision, fundamental objectives and strategic plan (2016-2021).
40 Proposed Roster or Top Leadership Positions Further, the Committee was tasked to review and develop a Draft Roster on Top Leadership Positions that was prepared by the regional secretariat and considered by the Executive Committee Meeting of the Region that was held in Bayelsa, Nigeria in March, 2018.

The Roster took into account, both regional and sub-regional representation to keep it in tandem with the spirit of Article 46 of the CPA Africa Region Constitution.
It covered some key regional leadership positions which included, inter alia; the Chairperson of the Executive Committee, Vice Chairperson of the Executive Committee, Treasurer, Vice Treasurer, CWP Chairperson and CWP Vice Chairperson.

After a careful scrutiny of the draft roster, the Constitutional Amendment Committee was of the view that the roster should to include all key positions in the region for purposes of actualisation of the principle of rotation by the Association.
Proposed Rules for Appointment of Officers of the Region The Committee carefully considered the best modality of implementing the amended Article 46 of the CPA Africa Region Constitution.

The Committee was of the considered view that instead of drafting rules of contested elections to do away with the issue of contested elections, it would be appropriate if the region adopted rules for appointment of officers of the region instead of Rules of Contested Elections.
The Committee borrowed a leaf from the CPA International Rules of Conducting Contested Elections and engaged in a process of drafting rules for appointment of officers of the region that would provide a framework for the appointment of regional leaders within and among the sub- regions.
Recommendations In light of the aforesaid, the Expert Committee on Constitutional Amendments recommended that: (i) members of the Special Executive Committee carefully scrutinise and eventually adopt the proposed amendments for further incorporation of the amendments into the text and eventual submission to respective Annual General Meeting for final adoption; (ii) given the fact that the task of re-writing the Constitution is a continuing process that is expected to end in the next Annual General Meeting of 2019, where the final proposed text of the Constitution was going to be adopted, it was proposed that the Expert Committee be authorized to meet again before the next ordinary Executive Committee Meeting slated for March/April so as to substantively rewrite the text of the Constitution and fine-tune it before submission to the next Executive Committee Meeting.
This proposed meeting was intended to give the Expert Committee enough time to go through the entire constitution and attend to all pending issues.

41 APPENDIX IV RESOUTIONS FROM THE 4TH YOUTH PARLIAMENT THAT WAS HELD IN KAMPALA, UGANDA FROM 14TH TO 19TH APRIL, 2018 Based on the general debate on the five topics, the House adopted resolutions on each of the topics as follows: 1.
Motion on Youth Unemployment The House resolved that: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j) k) l) m) n) African countries should promote agriculture which is the backbone of most African countries to enable youth get employment opportunities; Governments need to develop and impact youth with the requisite skills to gain employment.

The youth need more than just a game plan to be successful in achieving their goals.
They must be equipped with the adequate knowledge, skills and support; The youth should be provided with startup capital to enable them start doing business; Governments should tailor make the education systems to better suit the African continent; students should be taught subjects that are relevant and beneficial to the students to better prepare them for employment; There should be total change of mindset of the youth.
The youth should be taught not to solely depend on their governments but to use the resources provided by the governments as stepping stones and to empower themselves; There is need to support the entrepreneurship subjects in the tertiary institutions that help to develop the various skills of the youth; There is need to develop and utilize the natural resources in Africa to create more employment opportunities; There is need to improve the resources and infrastructure in Africa that will attract more investments in the African continent thus creating more employment opportunities for the youth; There should be policies by governments to improve the skills of the youth; Governments should enter into free trade agreements amongst themselves.
This will promote movement of labour thus creating job opportunities for the youth; There should be deliberate effort by Governments to have value addition to the innovations by the youth.

This not only encourages the youth to make more innovations but also creates more jobs and opportunities for the youth; There is need to revise and evaluate the youth policies in place.
This evaluation will enable the Governments to make a reasoned judgment of what policies are best suited for them; The youth should be provided with information that will guide them in making their choices; this can be through television or radio talk shows; There is need to have exchange and benchmarking programmes for the youth to enable them learn from their counterparts and to better understand the peculiar circumstances applicable to different countries; 42 o) p) There should be an association or organization for the youth in Africa to help them better front their issues and concerns; and Governments should put in place a policy to employ the youth who have just completed their studies to enable them gain experience.
2.
Motion on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse The House resolved that: a) b) c) African Governments should collectively prioritize measures to address drug abuse, illicit production and trafficking in narcotics; There is need to sensitize youth against the dangers of alcoholism and drug abuse; Governments should enact clear legislations with deterrent punishments and strictly enforce laws on minimum age for alcohol consumption; Governments should increase tax on alcohol to make it expensive for the youth to afford and consequently, discourage them; There is need to strengthen the implementing agencies like police to ensure effective implementation of policies and laws on alcohol consumption and drug abuse; f) Governments should establish free counseling and rehabilitations centers for proper d) e) g) h) management of alcohol and drug abuse victims; Governments should formulate policies that prohibit the sale of cheap alcohol especially through local brewing; Youths should be encouraged to take up leadership positions that will instill in them a sense of responsibility and life values; j) i) Youths should be encouraged to participate in religious activities and programmes to enhance good morals and life values that will poster self-discipline and positive living; There should be a collective move by Governments to ban certain drugs like shisha which appeals more to the youths; Governments should create peer counseling programmes and ensure that the youths understand the dangers of alcoholism and drug abuse.
The peer counselors will then apply the knowledge and skills acquired to assist and support their peers to discourage them from engaging in alcoholism and drug abuse; k) l) Governments should establish strong partnerships to acquire high-tech equipment for m) effective detection of alcoholism, drug abuse and drug trafficking; and There is need for Governments to promote games and sports programmes for the youths.

This will ensure mental and physical engagement to curb idleness.

3.
Motion on Harnessing the Youth in Leadership The House resolved that: a) Government should put in place appropriate policies and legal framework aimed at increasing representation of youth in decision-making at local, national, regional and international levels, and in particular to - (i) prioritize youth leadership development programmes in the national agenda, (ii) establish integrated mechanisms for meaningful participation of youth leadership, (iii) enhance youth capacity and employability skills building; and (iv) prioritize partnership building and resource mobilization for the youth; 43 b) c) d) e) f) g) h) Government should increase funding to the education sector to at least 15 percent of each Member State’s national budget in order to empower the youth.
This was agreed by African Leaders at the Abuja African Union Summit and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda; To provide appropriate platforms for the development, training, skilling and tooling of youth in leadership and development; Youth should form different fora and Associations such that they have a bigger voice to advocate for the issues of the youth such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; The youth should not make themselves cheap and be used by others to fight their battles.
The youth should use their knowledge and talent to achieve their own interests and goals; The youth should be given opportunities by the older persons to take up leadership positions; The youth should be encouraged to participate in politics and developmental issues.

This will enable the youth to make decisions on matters affecting them; The youth should be encouraged to participate in leadership right from the onset when they are young.
This helps the youth to gain the skills and experience needed for leadership; i) Governments should promote access to technology by the youth since technology improves communication, networking and innovations thereby creating jobs; Community development programmes for the youth should be supported by the government; j) k) l) m) n) The youth should undertake voluntary work and technical work to increase their experience; The youth should be patriotic and show interest to issues affecting their countries; The youth should be permitted to determine their mission, mandate and aspiration in the development agenda.
This will enable them achieve their objectives and define their purpose; and The youth should demand for accountability from their leaders.

This will keep the leaders in check; 4.

Motion on Teenage Pregnancy and HIV/AIDS The House resolved that: a) Governments should design appropriate sex education programmes that should be incorporated in the School curriculum to help the youths gain information, skills and motivation to make healthy decisions about sex and sexuality.
This will ultimately curb teenage pregnancies and prevent HIV/AIDS; b) Laws relating to teenage pregnancies and HIV epidemic should be strictly implemented to curb the consequences associated with the vice.

c) There is need to create more jobs for the youths or empower them to create jobs to ensure that they are actively engaged and occupied to prevent redundancy; d) Governments should encourage and sensitize parents about the need for parents’ in nurturing children.
This will promote good parent-child involvement 44 communication and relations, a foundation for parental guidance and counseling of teenagers; e) There is need to encourage the youths to participate in religious activities, programmes and teachings that will enhance life values like abstinence until marriage; f) Governments should create awareness among the youth about self-awareness and respect for self.
This will enhance self-dignity and integrity; g) Governments should promote information sharing among teenagers through peer counseling since teenagers easily learn from their peers than any other group or person.
This will promote problem solving and good decision making; h) Governments should evaluate cultural practices to discourage those that promote i) j) teenage pregnancies and early marriages; There is need for Governments to promote gender equity to ensure that girls are not perceived as the only ones responsible and affected by teenage pregnancy.
This will ensure collective responsibility of both genders; Parents should be sensitized about the need to provide for the needs of their children to minimize the likelihood of teenagers being taken advantage of through provision.

5.
Motion on the Youth And Social Media The House resolved that: a) Governments to sensitize the youth in Africa to utilize social media for education purposes and as a platform to raise awareness of matters of public importance; b) Governments to sensitize the youth on use of social media as a platform to air out ideas and innovations to the public and not for exposure to harmful activities; c) Governments to advocate for proper use of social media as a platform to boost entrepreneurship and online transactions thereby creating employment for the youth; d) Governments to establish recreational facilities like parks, sports centers and youth development programmes to keep the youth active in a constructive way; e) Governments to sensitize the youths on the risks that may arise out of unregulated use of social media such as health complications of the eyes, ears and other body organs; f) Governments should put in place policies that provide for - (i) the control and regulation of the content produced on social media, (ii) stringent measures for those who abuse social media, (iii)moderation and monitoring of the content of social media so as to eliminate pornographic and immoral content, (iv) age limit for access to social media, (v) creation of local social media platforms that are in tandem with the cultural and social set up of the African society, (vi) to skill and train the youth to positively utilize social media as a means of helping them to compete globally for online jobs, and (vii) deliberate measures to ensure equality amongst the youth by availing them with internet and internet gadgets; this will offer an opportunity to skill all the youth for online jobs.
g) Parents should be exemplary in the use of social media and should be encouraged to take keen interest in the material that their youthful children are exposed to; 45 h) Governments to create awareness programs for the youth to be sensitized on the proper use of social media and how to exercise self-control and personal protection while using social media; i) Governments to employ experts in cybercrime to sensitize the youth on how to handle cases of cybercrime and how to expose fraudulent characters; and j) Governments to establish tribunals and disciplinary Committees to specifically manage cyber-crime and defaulters of social media use.
a.

Administrative Resolutions In addition to the resolutions under Sections 9.1-9.5, The House moved adopted a motion for a resolution of the 4th CPA (Africa Region) Youth Parliament seeking to amend the Rules of Procedure for the CPA (Africa Region) under Rule 33 of the Rules of Procedure of CPA (Africa Region).

The current applicable Rules of Procedure are attached as Annex 1 while the said amendments to the Rules of Procedure are marked Annex 2. b.
Monitoring and Evaluation The House implored the Regional Secretariat of the CPA (Africa Region) to workout modalities for monitoring and evaluating actions taken the resolutions of the CPA (Africa Region) Youth Parliaments.

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